Flora Incognita [Isla]

Jigano chuckled in appreciation of her joke, amused both by its truth and its wit. ”I admit, I prefer repeat patrons myself, though there’s something to be said for a new audience who appreciates the same tales told a hundred times before – but only the first time to them.” He watched Isla intently, seeing how she harvested the seedpods and making a mental note of the tools himself. He had only passing familiarity with alchemy – like most things, from books rather than practical application – or the mixing of medicines, but if these pods were useful to the healers there was no reason not to gather them when he came across them. He could deliver them to the infirmary whenever he headed back to the Atheneum or Rathskeller, and build goodwill without needing to go out of his way to do so.

A tidy conclusion, and he returned Isla’s smile as she rose with fluid grace and carried on with her harvest. ”Wise,” he agreed with her husbandry of the small plants, ambling a little distance away to try and find a separate cluster, and spread out their gathering. ”Have you tried growing these in the Sanctuary as well?”

The idle conversation took a decidedly bloody turn, but Jigano had asked for it with full awareness that it might. Healers were not, as a rule, squeamish and he’d dealt with quite a few wounds in his own adventuring days, or at least, had helped Jenny to do so. Something Isla said, though, definitely piqued his interest, and he paused in his search to look over at his companion, arching a brow in open curiosity. ”The Spire is hard to miss, of course, but what monster? Aside from the, ah, ghoulish gourds running amok it’s seemed fairly peaceful in this place, at least since I arrived.” Which was really quite recently, but then, he’d hardly gone looking for trouble personally, preferring to hear stories of it from others or read about it in the books he was trying to decipher in the Atheneum.

"A new audience? And here I thought you were just a very intelligent scholar, Jigano. I didn't realise you were a storyteller as well." Isla's smile was warm and interested, and she watched as he spread out in an attempt to find another cluster of the seed pods. "Perhaps you might drop by the infirmary after all, to tell tales to those who cannot leave their beds even the short walk to the Rathskeller." While her tone was playful she was half serious in her offer. If Jigano wanted to distract the injured from their woes, that wa sjust as good a medicine as the pods they were harvesting.

Growing them in the Sanctuary wasn't something she had considered, actually, and Isla flushed a little at missing such an obviously helpful idea. "And I was more interested in the volcanettes," she said with a chuckle, chastising herself for it. "No, I didn't think to cultivate these elsewhere, but I definitely will now. Thank you."

That he didn't know of the Spire Demon was both blessing and worry, Isla pursing her lips and shaking her head sadly. "Would that it were so peaceful. This place is strange, Jigano. There are creatures that look familiar, but are not. Things that seem totally outlandish... and monsters. From what I have pieced together, the Spire demon guards the Spire. Or lives near or in it, at the very least. It took a chunk out of two high-ranking soldiers from my homeland, and it is... not to be trifled with, if you catch my understanding."

”Scholar by choice, but storyteller to earn the coin to support my calling,” he explained cheerfully. ”Sadly, the knowing of things is not, generally, enough to keep food on the table unless one makes it interesting enough to draw a crowd.” His rueful shrug was accompanied by a grin as he searched the new patch of ground, though with less success. ”But since currency here is… not what I’m used to, I am at least freer to choose how I spend my time. I would be delighted to visit the infirmary, if you mean that. I try to make it a point to earn and keep the goodwill of any healers whose help I may need one day!” He tipped the woman a wink before shifting his search a little further away, finding the seedpods elusive once more even though he knew better what to look for now.

He smiled again at her laugh, recognizing the self-chastisement all too well, and simply offering a nod of acceptance at her gratitude. ”You’re welcome,” he murmured, and meant it.

The volcanettes were a delightful mystery, but talk of the spire demon seemed far more pertinent an enigma, and Jigano listened closely to Isla’s somber explanation. ”A powerful monster guarding an imposing tower against all comers? We’re only one captured princess short of a fairy tale.” His lips quirked a little at the thought, but the humor didn't quite reach his eyes.

”But the spire… is in the center of this barrier that protects this place – or holds it captive, yes? And now you say it’s protected by a powerful creature.” He paused in his search to look at Isla once more, raising one eyebrow in challenge. ”Do you know, by chance, if the locals have said anything about how long the demon has been there?”

"Well that depends on the kind of things you know," Isla said with a playful smile, moving now to join him on his new search for more of the seed pods. She was content with her haul of them for now, in truth, but talk of harvesting some with the intention of growing them closer to home had very much piqued her interest. They would be easier to transport than the fiery blooms behind them, too. Her smile turned wry as Jigano brought up the currency of the place, or the lack thereof, and she nodded in agreement.

"Where I came from there was a rationing system. One could trade rations within the settlement, but... it was not the same as coin. I imagine if everyone here is stuck, what little value currency had became obsolete in lieu of survival. It isn't like anyone can trade beyond the barrier, after all..." Yet another reason to investigate whether there was a way out of here.

She nodded enthusiastically as Jigano seemed to take to the idea of visiting the infirmary, Isla leaning down to help him search for the pods. "That would certainly go a long way to earning my goodwill," she said jokingly, "and you would be more than welcome to tell your tales in the ward. Drop by any time."

If only their conversation could remain on such light topics; regrettably, the Spire Demon had a habit of sobering things somewhat. "I'm not certain whether the Spire is the source of the barrier... but it would seem to indicate as much, wouldn't it?" Isla shrugged, throwing back her memory to try and recall if she'd heard anything regarding the timeframe. "I met one of the natives when we first arrived, named Rory," she said with a nod. "He said that the tales of the creature went back for centuries. It doesn't seem to eat or sleep. A friend of mine, Remi, has written notes about everything we have found out regarding the monster." She didn't know if that would help at all, but it would give Jigano a lead if he did want to find out more.

Jigano grinned at Isla's wise verbal riposte, sketching a brief half-bow in acknowledgement and welcoming her to his little patch of the glade so they could search together. "Touche," he murmured. "And trade or barter isn't unheard of for me, either. I trade tales and songs for food and drink in the smaller villages where money is rare and hard to come by." His lips lifted again in that wry twist that came as easily as true humor to him. "I'll adapt, I'm sure. At least until we solve the puzzle of the barrier, or die of old age trying!" A bit grim, but entirely plausible given that several generations, at least, had come and gone within the strange bubble. And what if the only people in the world were within the barrier? Perhaps it hadn't been erected to keep the humans in, but to keep something terrible out?

Not, at least currently, his problem. He had quite enough on his plate just learning about the area within the barrier, even if it was plucking the strings of his curiosity. And now he had someplace new to explore, as well. "I'll be sure to drop by soon, then," he agreed with a smile. "I'd enjoy hearing your stories as well. Where you came from and what it was like... your legends and lore from there, if you're willing."

But first and more pressing was the lore of their new 'home,' and its dangers. One in particular that he was glad to be hearing about now, and not seeing firsthand because he'd wandered in unknowing to examine the ominous edifice. "Curious... a thread to tug on later, perhaps," he murmured, standing to stretch his back before his change in position revealed a possible seedpod. Three long strides and he was bending over -- and then rising with a sigh, empty-handed. "But you are now the second person to mention a "Remi" since I arrived. If this is the same alchemist who brews the Rathskeller's moonshine, perhaps I can convince you to arrange an introduction?" He flashed her a winsome grin, trying not to look too eager to find another taker of notes and keeper of lore in this new land.

"I do hope it doesn't come to that, but you may be right." Isla agreed with a quiet chuckle; it was a bit grim, but then again so was her sense of humour, and Jigano's playful nature wasn't lost on her. She straightened up as well as he looked as if he had found some of the pods, only to emerge empty handed. Isla smiled and patted her pockets. "It's alright," she said, "I think I have enough to make more medicine, and I can spare a few to try and cultivate them." Better than breaking their backs searching - not only that, they could give a little more attention to the volcanettes this way.

Making her way back over to the fiery blooms, Isla bent to inspect one more closely. "I'd be honoured to share any tales I know. Perhaps they'll become famous if they are shared by a storyteller such as yourself. And I look forward to seeing you in the infirmary, too! It can be a bit... sterile, as you can probably imagine."

It didn't actually surprise her all that much to hear that Remi had fallen from another person's lips since Jigano's arrival - the alchemist had accomplished much in the small time he had been in Caido. "That would be correct, yes. He has helped create and improve some of my equipment in the infirmary, too. I would be honoured to introduce you, if you would like."

Isla, Jigano was swiftly deciding, was a delight. He could easily spend more time in her company, seeking out medicinal ingredients and swapping tales, and he was pleased that she felt the same. "I'll keep an eye out for more in my explorations, nonetheless," he promised with a smile. Now that he knew what they looked like it would be far easier, and in fox form he was much closer to the ground and would have a faster time sniffing them out. It would only be appropriate to make his eventual visit to the infirmary bearing gifts!

He trailed his new friend more slowly, keeping an eye out for more of the little plants just in case. Then he settled himself back down on his rock to withdraw his notepad once more, ready to jot down anything Isla noticed or learned that he had missed. "They might, at that," he agreed with a grin, not bothering with false modesty as he accepted her teasing compliment. "I'll be sure to give credit where it's due, though." He couldn't help but laugh at her description of the infirmary, grin broadening. "Only if it's done right! A non-sterile infirmary is, admittedly, not as inspiring of confidence." He reached forward to carefully poke his pencil stub into a fiery petal, holding it there and watching the flame flow around it harmlessly. "But I shall be glad to try and liven the place up a bit." One more smidgen of atonement to add to his scales, perhaps.

"Ah, an engineer as well? A man of many talents, this Remi."Jigano retrieved his pencil at last to examine it, finding no sign of char and jotting the detail down. Next was a small corner of the page, so far unused, that he tore off and offered the blossom next. "Thank you, Isla. I would appreciate it very much! Did you know him before you found yourself here? Or did you meet him after you arrived?"

Nodding gratefully, Isla gifted Jigano with a sunny smile and turned her attention fully to the volcanettes. With enough seed pods in her possession to create her medicines and powders, and the promise of both a storyteller and perhaps more of the pods in the future, she was in understandably high spirits. "Please do!" She laughed at his comment about giving her credit for the stories. "I am a doctor, and so I am unlikely to ever be known for a creative art. If some stranger on the road is pleased by an anecdote I tell you, I can make my happy way through this world."

Kneeling down properly and leaning in a touch to watch what happened to the pencil as Jigano prodded it into the fiery petals, Isla was surprised and a touch delighted that it didn't seem to burn. She smiled absently, nodding in agreement about the state of the infirmary. "If you had seen it when I first found it you might have been horrified. I know I was," she remarked. Luckily the place had been cleaned up and was functional - it was well on its way to being practical, even!

"Oh, yes. He is an alchemist, you see - never have I met a man with such a broad range of interests." Isla nodded, her face lighting up at the mention of her friend. The alchemist in question was painfully modest, she knew, so it felt good in some way to make him larger than life for a stranger. "We both come from Northaven, but I confess I was only there for a small while before we were transported here. I only met him once we had already been dropped in Caido," she explained. "What about you? Did you come through with anyone?"

"Then I shall count myself lucky to have arrived when I did, after you've set the place to rights," he declared gallantly. He was far too used to being able to heal himself by magical means, something he hadn't yet seen in this world. If he needed to be physically stitched back together for some reason, cleanliness was a necessity! And perhaps more improvements could be made, if he could find the right books in the Atheneum in a language he could read or decipher. Something to add to his growing list of things to research, he realized ruefully. So much to read, and so little time...

Not least because some of that time needed to be spent building bridges and finding allies in this place. And sometimes the fastest way to learn something was just to ask it. Or to poke it, depending on the situation. Jigano was doing both at the moment, stealing a glance at his companion in time to see her brighten at the chance to talk about the mysterious Remi. Simple admiration for a friend, or something more?

Even in his distraction the paper failed to burn or even so much as brown, sitting in the blossom's fire without harm. He retrieved it thoughtfully, slipping it between the pages of the little book to save it for later examination. "Northaven? Another name I've heard but haven't gotten much detail on," he admitted with a smile. "A city? A kingdom? A world?" He chuckled, turning his attention to the ground to try and find a pebble or small rock to test. "Alas, I was traveling alone when the path disappeared beneath my feet and dropped me - quite literally - between worlds." His smile faded for a moment, the skin around his eyes tightening a little at the memory. "It was not... a pleasant trip. So I suppose it's just as well no one else had to endure it with me." He shook his head to chase away the shadows, looking back to Isla with that charming grin again. "But you said you had only been in Northaven a short time? Where else have your travels taken you?"

"A settlement," Isla supplied for him regarding Northaven, smiling back at him and tilting her head to watch as the corner of the paper refused to burn as well. When he began to hunt around for a pebble, she caught sight of one nearby and plucked it up to hold out for him. Perhaps the fiery blossoms would burn stone in a way they hadn't touched wood or parchment? It seemed unlikely but it was worth a try, right? "Ah, I see. It doesn't sound like a pleasant trip... but I do have to wonder what it's all for. Why were we pulled here? Why us and not others? I daresay many people who have been dropped here must be missing their loved ones..."

Shaking that thought away, Isla sat back on her knees again and tucked a lock of fair hair behind her ear. "Oh, I was only in Northaven and Northwind. How to explain... Northwind is the kingdom where I was born. My family, the Lockwoods, were healers to the crown. Northwind was at war, and a portal was opened to another world in case the kingdom needed to flee. That place was named Northaven. I was a field medic for a few years on the front lines before I was selected to go through the portal to the settlement."

Jigano accepted the pebble with a grin, knowing that it was probably unlikely to burn, but since he’d brought up the possibility he felt he had to follow through on it. His memories of his own passage to Caido dimmed his humor momentarily, but it was impossible to stay subdued with such a lovely conversation partner sharing new information with him.

He held the pebble to the bloom while Isla waxed philosophical, relieved in a distracted sort of way when neither the stone nor his fingers burned. He pocketed the pebble for later examination as well, expression turning thoughtful as he gave Isla’s questions due consideration. ”Sometimes the world, the universe… the gods themselves are just… fickle,” he said at last. ”Cosmic accidents do happen. But then, so do Destinies, I suppose. We would have to ask the ones who made the portals if they had either rhyme or reason behind them, or if it was simple chance and luck on both sides.” He gave a shrug, smile falling into its usual wry lines. ‘Luck,’ after all, could be good or bad.

”I am sorry that you’ve been separated from your family,” he continued earnestly, turning to give her his full attention for the moment. Her history was fascinating, as was the mention of a controlled portal between one world and the next. ”But… perhaps I’ve misunderstood something. Was another portal opened by your people from Northaven to here for some reason? Or, like me, did you stumble across a ‘wild’ portal and come through alone?”

Gods? Isla couldn't help a small smile at that, shrugging her shoulders to Jigano. "I prefer to put my fate in my own hands," she murmured. "Until our arrival here the only gods I knew about were in books and fables. Northwind was not a particularly religious place, not to my knowledge anyway." Sure, some commoners worshipped their nature sprites or the elements or the moon - whatever helped them through their days, Isla supposed. But she was a woman of logic, and that simply didn't fly with her. It still didn't, despite all the rumours regarding gods and goddesses, granting boons by whim or fancy.

"Would that we knew who created the portals. The one through to here, in any case. There was a man who could make portals from shadow magic in Northaven - that's how we travelled to it from Northwind, anyway. But he is not here, and I haven't seen anyone with the same sort of ability." Isla shook her head, though she only smiled kindly at the man across from her at the mention of her family. "You need not apologise. I was separated from my family long before I came to Northaven and then to here. They were mages, almost all of them. Where I am from, healing magic has a price - most of my relatives are dead. I was not blessed with the gift - or cursed, I suppose you could say."

Shrugging her shoulders, she examined the pebble as it, too, refused to burn, finally rising to her feet. "I don't know what happened to bring the Northaveners here. We suspected a portal, at first, but no one can remember anything about it." Isla shot him a wry smile. "I'm sorry - I'm rambling on. Did you have any family, back where you came from?"

Edy had also seemed bemused at the thought of real, active gods, Jigano recalled. Of course, he’d taken some of that with a grain of salt because it was, well, Edy saying it, but with Isla confirming it, it was very likely true. A world without gods, or at least not ones that meddled in the lives of mortals sounded like a fascinating place, though for better or worse he wasn’t sure. ”It’s hard to imagine such a world,” he admitted ruefully. ”Where I’m from the gods are very much present in our lives, and the source of much magic.”

Jigano nodded thoughtfully at the mention of a shadow portal. That was a familiar enough, in a general sort of way. He had also had a… friend… once, who had been capable of such. ”It was rare where I’m from, too,” he offered, but he found his subsequent condolences for her family leading to a much harder place than he’d expected. He bowed his head gravely in respect for the fallen, though he was a little relieved she was able to relate the sad tale so matter-of-factly. A pragmatic woman, or perhaps the pain was simply dulled by time. ”My condolences either way,” he murmured, respectful of her loss even if she didn’t show grief for it.

He had reached out to run his fingers idly through the fire of the bloom as she stood, and he glanced up with a wry smile. ”Perhaps something will jog your memory some day.” Not, perhaps, the most likely of suggestions but it wasn’t as if they had much else they could do about it for now. ”And you needn’t apologize. I was encouraging it, after all. Collecting stories is part of who I am.” He grinned, but her follow-up question had quelled the urge to wink. He let the humor fall away with a small shrug as he slowly rose as well, absently dusting off his clothing. ”My family… it was only my parents and me. They had traveled far from their homeland to settle at Torch, the town where I was born.” He hesitated a moment before continuing. ”They… passed away several years ago. An attack on the town, And being in the wrong place at the wrong time.” His smile was subdued as he glanced down at the volcanette, burning merrily away and apparently undisturbed by his experiments.

”My mother did some healing though. Magical, like your family. It runs… ran in my family, too, on her side. I had a little talent for it myself, before I arrived here and it was lost.” With so much else. But then, he’d also gained, perhaps, a fresh start. It wasn’t as though he was trying to find a way back, after all.

Isla listened with interest as Jigano spoke of his own world and its relationship to deities - whilst it was difficult for her to imagine, she didn't - couldn't - disbelieve it. And with that in mind, talk of other worlds where gods were active meddlers (as they seemed to be here, too) was profoundly interesting to her curious mind.

"How many gods watched over your world?" she asked, patting her pocket to make sure the seed pods were still safe and smiling at his continued condolences. Isla offered him a polite nod in acceptance - whilst the grief had hit her harder in her youth, she tried to distance herself from it now given how close to death she walked each day. A smile flickered across her lips and she racked her memory to try and pinpoint the moment where she was dropped into Caido.

"Maybe," she agreed. "As far as I remember I was just... working. And suddenly I was here instead." Jigano rose to his feet as well and Isla stepped closer - while their tests seemed to be inconclusive for the most part, the blooms still gave off a decent amount of light. But they would likely need more suitable tools before transplanting one of them to the Sanctuary. Perhaps they ought to come back another time?

Her attention was drawn back to the pale haired man as he began to speak of his own family, Isla's expression softening. "I'm very sorry to hear that," she murmured, both about his parents and hearing that he had lost his magic by falling through into this new world. "I don't know how helpful it would be, but I could teach you some basic field medicine to make up for it?"